September Starts Off In Swingin’ Fashion | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

In 2011, saxophonist Dave Liebman, who is in town as a featured guest with saxophonist Keith Oxman’s group at Dazzle on Friday, joined the ranks of the National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters. Born in Brooklyn, Liebman founded a co-operative of young players that became part of the New York loft scene. And before long the saxophonist found himself part of drummer Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine. Then Liebman worked with Miles Davis, appearing on the trumpeter’s early-1970s albums Get Up with It and On the Corner.  

The saxophonist, who spent a lot of time with the soprano sax, the spent a lot of time in the company of pianist Richie Beirach in the group Lookout Farm and then played with Chick Corea, as well as his own quintet with guitarist John Scofield. He also engaged in variety of not-the-usual musical projects along with performing with a large number of noted international jazz artists. On Friday at Dazzle, 1512 Curtis, Liebman is with Oxman’s group that is on stage at 7 p.m. (303-839-5100). Oxman is a Denver area-based player and educator who has received great praise from other Jazz Masters such as Benny Golson and Curtis Fuller.

At 9:30 p.m. on Friday, it’s singer Venus Cruz at Dazzle, followed on Saturday by saxophonist Nelson Rangell at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Rangell is an area-based musician known around the globe for his strong, crossover playing – and he can play. Pianist Adam Bodine’s sextet is at the club on Curtis on Thursday at 6:30 and 9 p.m., guitarist Nicholas Meier is there on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and singer (and original member of the vocal group Rare Silk) Marylynn Gillaspie is on stage there on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. 

Speaking of the many fine, area-based players here, on Friday through Sunday the inaugural Colorado Jazz Musicians Festival takes place in Crested Butte. The weekend event has a full schedule of events and activities with musicians such as Annie Booth, the Bob Montgomery/Al Hermann Sextet, guitarist Wayne Wilkinson, pianist Bodine, singer Gillaspie, Janine Gastineau, Eric Gunnison, Donna Elise Scott, Dana Landry and Los Chicos Malos. For all the detail, go to cojazzfest.org.

Continuing along that line, the current lineup at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., has: pianist Landry on Thursday; Dan Schwindt’s Mama Roux tribute to Dr. John and others on Friday; Drew Morell’s Drew’s Blues and Jazz Boogaloos on Saturday; Jason Klobnak’s B3 Quartet on Tuesday; and Clint Dadian’s quartet on Wednesday. The music kicks off at Nocturne at 7 p.m. (303-295-3333).

Before September ends, keep in mind that Dazzle is serving up: saxophonist Donny McCaslin’s quintet on the 18^th, Kneebody on the 27^th and 28^th and guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg’s quartet on the 29^th. And that in October, Dazzle has a very special month of ECM music with drummer Ches Smith’s trio, the duo of saxophonist Mark Turner and Ethan Iverson, Nik Bartsch’s Ronin, guitarist Jacob Bro’s trio (with Joey Baron and Thomas Morgan), the music of Arvo Part and Art Lande. Stay tuned.

Also, on September 13, the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra does the music of Stevie Wonder at Dazzle. The big band contains a number of the fine, area-based players, including saxophonists Sam Williams and Tom Myer. I mention that because both saxophonists are part of the band for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical that is playing at the Ellie in the Denver Performing Arts Complex through Sunday (303-893-4100). The musical features the classic tunes of both King (with Gerry Goffin) and Cynthia Weil (with Barry Mann) pulled together through a mini-biography of King ending with her Carnegie Hall performance in 1971. Even if you didn’t live through the era covered by Beautiful, it’s still pretty much guaranteed that you will “feel the earth move under your feet” when you hear the music.

On a final note: Another Jazz Master, Pharoah Sanders will be at Colorado College in Colorado Springs on September 28 with his quartet. Originally, there was talk of the event to also feature saxophonist Archie Shepp, but that joint venture fell through. The concert has been organized a professor at the college, Michael Sawyer, and will be filmed as part of a planned documentary. If anything is worth a trip to the Springs, seeing a quartet led by Pharoah Sanders certainly is. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets. For added information, you can call 719-389-6607. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. in the theater in Armstrong Hall, 14 E. Cache La Poudre, on the college campus.  

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